If your sweetheart has diabetes or prediabetes, celebrate Valentine's Day without chocolates or a fancy restaurant meal.

First is talk sweet

Non milk, non-sugar dark chocolate is good for the health

Go on an outing that includes a hike, bicycle ride or vigorous walk

Pack a picnic basket that includes items such as low-fat cheese, olives, fresh vegetables with a raita, nuts, hummus, antipasto salad, sliced apple, smoked salmon or low-sodium, low-fat sliced turkey and a bottle of sparkling water

Even a small glass of red wine is fine for those who drink but have food with your wine as alcohol can initially increase the blood sugar, but then it can cause a drop, or hypoglycemia.

Alcohol should always be consumed with food

One can share a special cookie or some sugar-free or dark chocolates.

Some sugar-free foods, such as diet soda, sugar-free gelatin, and sugar-free gum, do not have a significant number of calories or carbohydrates, and are considered "free foods." Any food that has less than 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate is considered a free food, meaning that they do not affect body weight or require additional medication.

Artificial sweeteners do not affect blood glucose levels and may be consumed in moderation. The FDA has approved five artificial sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, neotame, and sucralose. Stevia comes from the stevia plant and is now generally recognized as safe. When something is generally recognized as safe by the FDA, it means that experts have agreed that it is safe for use by the public in appropriate amounts.

Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol and maltitol) are often used to sweeten sugar-free candies and gum, and increase blood glucose levels slightly. When calculating the carbohydrate content of foods, one-half of the sugar alcohol content should be counted in the total carbohydrate content of the food. Eating too much sugar alcohol at one time can cause cramping, gas, and diarrhoea.

Awareness must be raised about the evils of excessive consumption of sugary foods items: IMA

New Delhi, February 13, 2016: Tactics employed by the tobacco industry in developed nations are being transferred over to the soda industry, according to the report ‘Carbonating the World’ released by the CSPI, in trying to replace a diminishing consumer base for sugar drinks in the USA by targeting developing countries. There are major links between these sugary foods and tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, amongst others.

Speaking about the awards, Dr. SS Agarwal, National President IMA & Padma Shri Awardee Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and Honorary Secretary General IMA said, “After the WHO’s World Health Assembly adopted a set of global recommendations in 2010 to reduce marketing of non alcoholic beverages and foods high in sugars, salt, or fat for children, it now needs to push countries to implement the recommendations and implement actual standards.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) presents a series of weekly webcasts for the benefit of the Indian medical profession, engaging you with the latest in advocacy efforts for doctors, through an interactive exclusive digital webcast partnership with eMediNexus.